Torsion Bar creeking sound

[smallclone]

driver door shuts very well, but when it reaches the top the torsion bar makes a creeking sound. makes the same sound on the way down too.

ive located the sound to the torsion bar near the louvers, I thought it might be the rubber at first or even the strut.

certainly is the bar. I thought perhaps the plate on the pontoon was loose but its on there tight. could the torsion bar be TOO tight?

any advice?

[MikeWard]

Mine used to do the same, I would suggest pulling the rear screen finisher and check for roof box separation
55825

55824

https://www.deloreango.com/us/roof-box-repair-kit.html

[Dangermouse]

It’s at minimum tension when it is open so I would expect a sound related with purely tension to get greater as the door closes.

Check that the bar isn’t rubbing on the rear hinge

Also watch the rear plate as someone else opens the door. The is a lot of tension on that so you wouldn’t be able to jiggle it with bare hands. One bolt could be loose and moving up and down.

[smallclone]

thanks for the reply. I had t-panel and louvers off and do not see any separation of any kind.


I may just re-adjust the bar.

[MikeWard]

What's the condition of the roof seals like? It maybe that the seal is what is making the noise, not the bar.

[smallclone]

heres a video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzh3b7iu3MQ

[Jonathan]

heres a video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzh3b7iu3MQ

My driver's door makes the exact same noise, so be interesting to see what becomes of this.

[smallclone]

My driver's door makes the exact same noise, so be interesting to see what becomes of this.

have you ever adjusted the torsion bar on your car?

[Jonathan]

have you ever adjusted the torsion bar on your car?

No, never. They've always seemed about where they should be. If anything, I have had thoughts of increasing the tension, not lessening it.

For the longest time, I figured the noise was the stainless edge of the door rubbing on the stainless inside corner of the t-panel. Sometime before I got the car (pre-2007), something appears to have gotten caught in that corner when the door was shut. I figure it was likely the strut being changed out and the person doing it didn't have the weight of the door supported when they removed the pin securing the door end of the strut. It extended out as the door slammed down and flared the door edge up slightly and the t-panel got dented down slightly. You can see how those two spots rub when the door reaches fully open. I assumed the creak noise was that stainless on stainless rubbing, but it's actually something else and I figure it was more closely coming from behind the lower anchor point. I don't know what exactly, but that's where the noise originates, and not the torsion bar itself.

[MikeWard]

It might be something simple like the ball caps on the struts need some grease applying to them?

See 2:45 to 3:11 in this video https://youtu.be/R0XCq4aUPJ8?t=2m45s

[smallclone]

It might be something simple like the ball caps on the struts need some grease applying to them?

See 2:45 to 3:11 in this video https://youtu.be/R0XCq4aUPJ8?t=2m45s

removed the entire strut and it still makes the sound, im convinced the torsion bar is set too tight.

[MikeWard]

Does it bounce excessively when it reaches the top? i.e. like this https://youtu.be/R0XCq4aUPJ8?t=6m58s

Or is it more like this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr_uPDWHPlY

Can you take a straight on shot of the roof box from the rear of the car. From what I could see in your video it appears that it has been repaired previously going by the screws in the top.

[smallclone]

it doesn't bounce at all, needs to be pushed a bit if anything else. I can get shots when I get home today. the new screws seems to be held in place pretty tight.

[smallclone]

well oddest thing. before work i sprayed pb blast around the hinge and the torsion plate. didnt seem to do much. i came home and opened the door and the sound is completly gone!!!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqSSONy7d2M

[Shep]

Given the weather here, thought I'd mention this: cold weather can make a DeLorean produce odd noises and behave differently in select ways. Cold door struts for example have trouble opening the doors compared to warm ones. My own brakes squeal all the damn time in cold weather, once it warms up outside they're fine (they actually bite more when they squeal, I suspect rust build-up is the issue on mine). Obviously cold start vs. warm start differences too. Not to mention "X" hood is WAY more visible in frigid temperatures than warm ones (Nick Sutton clued me into that one).

I've occasionally had door squeaks in cold weather too, but it was at no point addressed, and I don't have it now. But my struts are struggling and it just snowed today. A week ago they were faring much better and it was upper 50's F outside. I believe some places on the bottle of PB Blaster mention to "soak" parts for full effect, but I don't have a bottle handy.

Anyways, glad it worked! Welcome aboard :)